Gladys Knight

Notable events from our shared experience Edward M. Kennedy drives off a bridge after a party on Chappaquiddick Island, Mass., on July 18, 1969. Kennedy escapes the submerged car, but Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign aide to Robert Kennedy, dies. Two semiconductor pioneers and a pair of venture capitalists found chip maker NM Electronics on July 18, 1968. It soon changes its name to Intel. Gladys Knight, age 8, appears on the TV show Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour …

When such Staple Singers‘ hits as “I’ll Take You There” and “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me)” came on the radio, it was easy to get lost in Mavis Staples’ raspy, soulful contralto lead vocals. But if you listened closer, another part of what made the Chicago gospel-soul group’s distinctive sound was the deft soprano harmony of Mavis’ sister Cleotha, who died on Feb. 21 at age 78 in Chicago. In the words of Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot, Cleotha’s …